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A Novel
by George Saunders
Book Reviewed by:A wise, playful, electric novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling, Booker Prize–winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo, taking place at the bedside of an oil company CEO in the twilight hours of his life as he is ferried from this world into the next.
Not for the first time, Jill "Doll" Blaine finds herself hurtling toward earth, reconstituting as she falls, right down to her favorite black pumps. She plummets towards her newest charge, yet another soul she must usher into the afterlife, and lands headfirst in the circular drive of his ornate mansion.
She has performed this sacred duty 343 times since her own death. Her charges, as a rule, have been greatly comforted in their final moments. But this charge, she soon discovers, isn't like the others: the powerful K. J. Boone will not be consoled, because he has nothing to regret. He lived a big, bold life, and the world is better for it. Isn't it?
Vigil transports us, careening, through the wild final evening of an epic, complicated life. Crowds of people and animals—worldly and otherworldly, alive and dead—arrive, clamoring for a reckoning. Birds swarm the dying man's room, a black calf grazes on the love seat, a man from a distant, drought-ravaged village materializes, two oil-business cronies from decades past show up with chilling plans for Boone's post death future.
With the acuity and explosive imagination we've come to expect, George Saunders takes on the gravest issues of our time—the menace of corporate greed, the toll of capitalism, the environmental perils of progress—and, in the process, spins a tale that encompasses life and death, good and evil, and the thorny question of absolution.
Excerpt
Vigil
What a lovely home I found myself plummeting toward, acquiring, as I fell, arms, hands, legs, feet, all of which, as usual, became more substantial with each passing second.
Below: a fountain.
At the center of the fountain: a gold-¬plated statue.
Of a dog. (Someone must have really loved that dog.)
In the mouth of the golden dog: a golden duck. The duck's beak was hanging open in death and a pocked area in its flank seemed meant to represent the entry-¬field of the shot-¬cluster.
I observed all of this as I plummeted past and then my head and torso pierced the asphalt crust of a semicircular drive and lodged in the dirt below.
My rear was in the air, my fresh new legs bicycling energetically. I found myself alternately clothed and unclothed. That is to say: one instant naked and the next clothed. Or to be more precise: partly clothed. (Over time, that is, the elements of my outfit grew more reliably visible.)
My beige skirt soon became a near constant.
Meanwhile, ...
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (5/14/2026)
I just finished "Revenge Prey" by John Sandford which has a lesser level of bloodshed in it than in some of the earlier "Prey" novels. However, Sandford turned the tension dial up to maximum from the first pages. I couldn't put it down until I'd read nearly half of it, even though the necessities...
-Robin_G
How do literary awards influence which books you choose to read, if at all?
Thanks, @Connie_K ! That's happened plenty of times, too (most recently Vigil by George Saunders, which just pissed me off). But I have to admit I do get a little endorphin rush when awards committees agree with me, haha.
-kim.kovacs
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (4/02/2026)
I'm starting Vigil by George Saunders. I'm a fan of his past books and stories but I'm curious about this one given the mixed reviews on BookBrowse. I'm also still rereading Anna Karenina...
-Vicki_F
Vigil by George Saunders via audio
Virgil was juvenile and heavy handed. It seemed the author could not decide if the book was a farce, a ghost story version updating A Christmas Carol, or It's a Wonderful Life. Lesson learned ? Or just a chance to show off some crass repartee? The author missed the chance of authentically respect...
-Pegeen_B
Jane feels that most “want to believe that the person you are with is good or decent,” but in her heart believes “morality isn’t an absolute; it’s situational.” What’s your opinion of this? Do you agree?
A post was merged into an existing topic: /t/the-vigil-by-george-saunders-via-audio/3280/5 The Vigil by George Saunders via audio
-kim.kovacs
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (2/5/2026)
...those keeping track!) and enjoying it immensely. I've then got https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/23089/vigil Vigil by George Saunders lined up (doing a side listen with @Norma_R ). I read it a couple of weeks ago, but I'd like the chance to revisit it, and this seems like a good exc...
-kim.kovacs
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (1/22/2026)
.../23249/whalefall Whalefall , The Shape of Water …). Then on to https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/23089/vigil Vigil by George Saunders. I'm still processing this one. I do know it didn't affect me as much as https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/3523/lincoln-in-the...
-kim.kovacs
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (1/1/2026)
Ooh, https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/23089/vigil Vigil by George Saunders is on my review list for the end of January and I can't wait to get to it. His https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/3523/lincoln-...
-kim.kovacs
Vigil is set across a single night as KJ Boone, the CEO of a large oil company, lies on his deathbed. The main character and narrator is Jill "Doll" Blaine, one of the "elevated" who, after death, are tasked with helping the dying cross over to the afterlife. Jill was killed in an act of violence when she was just 22 years old. Since then, she has been helping the dying transition by listening to their stories and offering them comfort. She is compassionate, kind, and an advocate of forgiveness, even with her 344th case, the powerful oil tycoon who will not admit the wrongs he has committed against the world. Both main characters are well-developed, even if at times they border on cliché. Take Boone, for example. The man had a tough childhood, growing up poor and struggling his way to wealth and power. His current evil and selfishness are to be understood through the lens of his past, a qualifier that serves a sort of redemptive purpose. This is a trope that I have seen countless times before and it doesn't do much to bolster Boone's case. As far as the prose goes, it is consistent with the previous writing of Saunders in that Vigil retains the same level of musicality and lyricism without losing the conversational style or satirical elements...continued
Full Review
(761 words)
(Reviewed by Sofia Chatzistefanou).
Oil and gas companies make the fuels that power our trips, deliver our groceries, keep the lights on in our houses and factories, and keep our hospitals running. However, they're also the largest contributor by far to pollution. They heat up the planet, dirty our air and seas, and ultimately destroy beyond repair our only home, the Earth. So we're faced with a dilemma: we rely on these companies every day, yet they impose an unfathomable cost.
The Bad...
Let's start with the obvious. The burning of fossil fuels creates carbon dioxide that retains the sun's heat within our atmosphere, contributing to global warming. Gas and oil-producing wells leak, releasing methane into the atmosphere. Refineries and petrochemical plants also release...
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